Salvaged cellphones offer evidence in Shafia case

An expert testifying at the Shafia trial Monday said text messages and love notes were recovered from three cellphones salvaged from the submerged car containing the four victims. (Canadian Press)

The jury in the Shafia murder trial has been shown cellphone photos of the three teenage sisters, some in revealing clothing, salvaged from devices pulled from the bottom of the Rideau Canal.

The photos were shown Monday morning as part of the testimony of a computer expert who specializes in analyzing damaged cellphones.

Tim Patterson reviewed three phones found in the submerged black Nissan along with the bodies of Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti Shafia, 13, as well as Rona Amir Mohammad, 50, in June 2009.

The prosecutors in the case allege the phones belonged to the victims.

Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 41, and their son, Hamed Mohammad Shafia, 20, are each charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths.

They have pleaded not guilty.

The expert told the Kingston, Ont., courtroom Monday there were pictures on the cellphones showing the victims in Niagara Falls, where the family had vacationed just prior to the deaths, and others snapped with friends.

The phones also contained text messages and love notes to friends, the court heard.